“The Contzen is simply fantastic. She has such a natural access to music. She is brilliant, crystal clear, great sound, a light hand. Fantastically beautiful."

— DLF, 04/01/2020

 

Mirijam Contzen is highly regarded by the international music world as a soloist, chamber musician, festival director and professor for violin. In her playing, grandeur and the highest level of technical mastery unite to create fascinatingly sophisticated observations of works. Their unmistakable sound and their unique musical expressiveness testify to deep interpretive individuality.

 

Mirijam Contzen has advocated the performance of unknown repertoire since the beginning of her concert career. At the beginning of the 2023/2024 season, she will be heard at festivals in Ireland and Italy, as well as at the Maulbronn Master Concerts, and will perform Béla Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with the conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy in the Württemberg Philharmonic.

 

In January 2020 she released the recording of the two violin concertos by Franz Clement with the WDR Symphony Orchestra conducted by Reinhard Goebel on Sony Classical. The 2nd violin concerto was a world premiere recording. This album was awarded the German Record Critics' Prize (Bestenliste 02/2020) and the OPUS Klassik as "Concert Recording of the Year". In the 21/22 season, as part of the "New Mozarts" series for Sony Classical, the recording of the once W.A. Violin Concerto in E flat major KV 365 attributed to Mozart with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg conducted by Reinhard Goebel. For her debut CD, which won the Echo Prize in 2001, she chose very rarely played works by Hubay, Ferrara and Geszler.

 

Mirijam Contzen has made guest appearances with leading orchestras around the world. Among others with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg, German Radio Philharmonic Saarbrücken, Philharmonic State Orchestra Hamburg, Israel Chamber Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchester de la Suisse Romande, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

 

She played under the direction of Iván Fischer, Gianandrea Noseda, Reinhard Goebel, Vladimir Fedosejev, Leif Segerstam, Lothar Zagrosek, Raphael Frühbeck de Burgos, Christopher Hogwood, Eliahu Inbal, Tomas Netopil, Michael Sanderling, Mario Venzago, David Stern and Gabriel Feltz .

 

Her passion for chamber music also led to collaborations with highly renowned musicians such as Emmanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Mischa Maisky, Clemens Hagen, Herbert Schuch, Bernd Glemser, Tobias Bredohl and Giovanni Guzzo.

 

In 2016 Mirijam Contzen was appointed professor for violin at the Berlin University of the Arts. A major concern of hers is the promotion of exceptionally young violinists, her commitment to the training of music teachers and her interest in educational processes in society.

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Photo © Magnus Contzen